hello hello whoever you are! my last post “inspiartion; its found when we least expect it” was a great hit! So many of you rote to me telling me how useful this infomation was for you all! So I went and did some investigating! As we all have come to learn over the years free things arnt always the best. So when it came to a free recycling tour I will admit I was sceptical about how well it would actually be.

Well all scepticism aside I took the time to go and see my local recycling centre the SMRC! and it was truly an amazing experience! it really inforce the ideas of recycling and the fact that what we put in our yellow bins here is actually recycled!

Above was a panarama that I took to show you all at home what my local government is doing for recycling

Did you guys find out where your rubbish goes one your finish? I urge you all to youll be amazed

Hello all my lovely readers! I apologise for me being M.I.A for the last little while, I could provide you with a million and one reasons as to why but Im going to settle with just a simple sorry.

So last week I went to the royal show… excepting a day of expensive rides, showbags and the fear of entering a sugar coma. Yet I was totally surprised (and alright ill admit it) I was so proud of what I saw. This year they had displays on sustainability! It was Fantastic! What a way to educate such a large proportion of the community on the harm that our life styles are having!

For those that don’t live around here; The Royal Show is a huge thing for so many people. A week long fair in which you get to experience the whole Agricultural experience from the city! Petting farms to cake displays, woodchopping to sheep sheering.

But anywhere enough about that lets talk about the exciting part! It was great to see the variety of people willing to learn and those that were there to teach! There were colourful displays drawing your attention, handouts for the parents and adults and plenty of games to keep the children occupied and keeping their attention long enough to teach them something

So if your a fellow perth resident why don’t you check out a few of the Sustainability groups we have here. You never know you could end up meeting your life long friend and share a journey to sustainability together!

– whats better than something thats free????? NOTHING! Its even better when you get to learn something that will save both the environment and some of that precious moolah that we work our butts of to earn!

– Take that coffee away with you everywhere – take a KeepCup and you can have that coffee everywhere you go!

Which item will help you reduce the most?

Where does YOUR rubbish go?

– Have you wondered where your rubbish goes to? Do you live near Neerabup, Mindarie, Balcatta or even Red Hill? If so What are you waiting for! Your Local council offers FREEEEEE tours to teach you all about what happens to your waste!

for more info contact somebody in the fantastic crew! The Mindarie Team will help you out at wasted@mrc.wa.gov.au*

hello my fellow enviro crusaders! you have t check out this blog its fantastic! it tells you all about the communnity events around the world that YOU can attend to make a difference and help aid conservation.
– M

We normally think of technology or music when we think of Austin, or SXSW. This even provides more to think about with regard to either of them. Thanks to the Guardian for letting us know about it:

Activists and industrialists might be like oil and water, but 3,000 of these strange bedfellows are gathering together in Austin, Texas, to discuss oil and water at SXSW Eco 2013 next week. Now in its third year, the annual conference aims to encourage cross-sector collaboration between professionals in business, government, academia and nonprofits on topics ranging from policy to consumer engagement.

As we have interviewed expert witnesses and considered a range of written evidence, one thing has struck me in particular. While there is an ongoing public discussion on climate change that needs more scientific input and greater participation, a clear development in recent years has been the rise in the numbers of people prepared to do something about climate change.

Ok, so I don’t really like doing this but hey were all here to make a difference aren’t we?

In the area where I study we have a chain of wetlands that provide rich biodiversity and culture to the region. In recent years however the wetland have been under pressure from urbanisation ( you know the way we live at all).

Bibra Lake and North Lake are worst effected. The climate of Perth has really dried since ive moved here and the ability to fill the lake on a yearly basis have been difficult, However this year there is an abundance of wildlife and its fantastic! Picture this the tall green trees, the green grass, tall wetland reed feeding the baby swans and plethora of bird life. It truly is remarkable! For year we have also been fighting the constrution of a massive freeway through the area. I personally remember going to Protests at the ages of 8 in regards to Stopping the dreaded ROE8!

Despite massive outcry from the public the Environmental Protection Authority has ignored their own previous reports and thousands of community submissions by approving the Roe Highway to be built! Right through one of Perth’s most important wetland ecosystems.

This will mean the loss of Carnabys Cockatoos, Quenda, Obloong Turtle, Our state emblem – the Black Swan, Wild Flowers, the local environmental education centre and the social location for thousands of visitors to relax in and unwind from the pressures of day to day life.

So I guess what Im asking is that you help me! we need 2000 signitures on our latest pettition to send to the government we need your help and this is your chance to make a massive difference. Please help me as its a very important cause

Hello out there! To all my viewers; from Norway to Malaysia. I hope your all still out there making a difference. Because every little step counts.

So I was at work yesterday (hmm lets not go there considering its not the most eco friendly place) when taking out the rubbish toward the end of my shift I was outraged at how much polystyrene was left from just one days stock. I personally didn’t know enough about the stuff. How is it made? Is it sustainable? What effect did it have on the environment?

So I set out looking and to say I was horrified by what I saw is an understatement for the centurary!

Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic made from the styrene monomer ( or what you and I know it as: Styrofoam) Polystyrene is a light-weight material, about 95% air, with very good insulation properties and is used in all types of products from cups that keep your coffees that boiling hot or to keep those summer cool drinks cold OR that packaging material that keep your computers safe during shipping.

All plastics (including the ones used to make polystyrene) are derived from crude oil which is a non-renewable fossil fuel. Just incase you’ve forgotten; Fossil fuels are formed from the decomposition of organisms over millions of years. They are considered non-renewable because our rate of fossil fuel extraction far outweighs the rate in which they are generated. The burning of fossil fuels to make plastic products releases carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas. Air and water pollution is also generated from the energy-intensive process of fossil fuel extraction. Did you know that there was 57 Chemicals where pumped into the atmosphere to keep that coffee of your warm? No? well neither did I so don’t worry too much.

But the shock doesn’t stop there. The ever continuous list of health ramifications is unbelievable. Acute health problems effecting generally irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal effects. Chronic exposure affects the central nervous system showing symptoms such as depression, headache, fatigue, and weakness, and can cause minor effects on kidney function and blood. Styrene is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA and by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Keeping this in mind that we are also using the 5th largest creator of hazardous waste. But whats worse is you know when you get a burger from the local deli and its in that foam box… but by the time it get home its cold so we chuck it in the microwave? This is one of the worst thing we can do because the chemicals leach out of the foam and contaminate the food.. But we still eat the food don’t we? Yeah because we don’t see that its been contaminated with chemicals so we ingest them and increasing or risk of serious health and reproductive issues.

The hole in the Ozone Layer has over the years been a frightening issue in Australia; where I live, and dramatically increased the levels of concern about the environment. For all you that don’t know what the ozone layer is (don’t be ashamed it might not be a major concern where you live). The Ozone Layer is as it sounds a layer in the Atmosphere (duh you all say) but it has such a vital role. The main role of the Ozone Layer is that it is the part of the atmosphere for reducing and absorbing much of the earths UV rays. See its got a pretty fundamental role (especially where I live, without it almost everybody here would develop skin cancer and thats a whole other problem in itself). However some of the gases that we would put in our fridges and Air-cons have caused a massive hole to form…. (heres for that massively long word that none of us will remember) ChloroFluro Carbons also known as CFC’s (see thats much easier to say). So they banished them and replaced the CFC gas (with an equally as complicated name) Hydro ChloroFluro Carbons or HCFC’s. But a study in 1992 by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, discovered that HCFCs are three to five times more destructive to the ozone layer than previously believed! AND WE USE THESE TO MAKE POLYSTYRENE!!!!!

It doesn’t get any better sadly. Polystyrene non- degradable, and uses significant amount of the land allocated to landfill. Because it is composed of around 95% air polystyrene is highly mobile and escapes from garbage bins and landfill. It tends to flake, with small pieces of litter travelling long distances and harming wildlife upon ingestion. When a banana peel is exposed to light and air it takes 3-5 weeks to decompose. It is not known how long it takes a Polystyrene cup to decompose. Despite this last year there was enough polystyrene cups are used in America each year to circle the world 426 times . And back in 2006/2007 here in Australia we produced 33,000 Tonnes of Polystyrene!

So now that I have finished ranting on about how Polystyrene is the worst thing we could possibly use I hope I haven’t scared you all away. Because there is something that YOU and I can do!

1. Reduce packing – do we really need all these packing nuts to hold a usb?

2. Use Alternatives- compressed paper is a much better alternative. Using recycled Paper and cardboard we can still achieve the same “protective” result

3. Recycle what we need to use. Speak to your local council about the program they have for recycling! You’ll be surprised

4. Tell the developers we don’t want it! Simple as that! WE hold the ability to drive the market! not them!

hopefully you have all read my last post on the issue of ewaste in our consumer driven society. While I was researching i cam across this website (What Happens to old Mobile Phones? )that I believed that you would all find beneficial. It provided so much information at such a simplistic level. Check it out and I’m happy to answer any further questions you may have